Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa

What Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa does

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa is a nonprofit youth-mentorship organization founded in 1975 and headquartered at 3150 E Ave. NW, Suite 103, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It operates a one-to-one mentoring model under the national Big Brothers Big Sisters brand, serving young people age five through young adulthood across Linn, Benton, and Jones Counties in East Central Iowa. The organization's "Littles" are matched with adult volunteer "Bigs" through a compatibility-based process overseen by dedicated Match Support Specialists.

The program portfolio spans four core delivery formats. Community-Based Mentoring pairs Bigs and Littles for monthly outings in the community over a one-year minimum commitment. School-Based Mentoring (Lunch Buddies) places volunteers at elementary schools twice monthly during lunch and recess. Sports Buddies adds monthly sports-themed group activities, and Big Futures addresses college and career readiness for older youth. Additional match formats include One-on-One, Couples Match, and Family Match. Complementary infrastructure includes the Recreation Station on-site activity facility, the Big Deals partner network providing exclusive local-business experiences, and digital enrollment channels (Child Inquiry Form, OnceHub volunteer scheduling) built on commodity tools rather than proprietary technology.

The organization is funded through individual donations, a tiered major-donor society (Match Maker at $1,200/year, Magic Maker at $6,000/year, Dream Maker at $12,000/year), planned giving, and community-foundation grants. Revenue is not disclosed; a 2025 grant of $25,000 from Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is the only funding event captured. Leadership comprises President & CEO Stephanie Hartson, Chief Program Officer Catherine VanDraska, and a board drawn from local employers including Collins Aerospace, Alliant Energy, and GreatAmerica Financial Services.

Name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa

Legal name

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa

Website

https://bigcr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa is a nonprofit youth mentorship organization founded in 1975, serving Linn, Benton, and Jones Counties in Iowa. It operates community-based, school-based, sports, and career-readiness mentoring programs pairing volunteer Bigs with youth ages 5 through young adulthood.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Community-based mentoring
• School-based mentoring
• Nonprofit youth programs
• Volunteer mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individuals supporting youth mentorship programs. Donors can contribute any amount through the organization's website to support life-changing friendships.
2. Major Donor Society (Big Magic Society): Tiered major donor program including Match Maker ($1,200/year), Magic Maker ($6,000/year), and Dream Maker ($12,000/year) pledge levels for sustained multi-year commitments.
3. Planned Giving: Bequest and planned giving opportunities for long-term supporter engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa delivers free one-to-one youth mentoring services for children and young adults ages 5 through young adulthood across Linn, Benton, and Jones Counties in Iowa. Core programs include Community-Based Mentoring, School-Based Mentoring (Lunch Buddies), Sports Buddies, and Big Futures career readiness, each supported by a dedicated Match Support Specialist. Services are funded entirely by donations, major donor society pledges, and community grants.

Product overview

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa operates a multi-program mentoring platform offering various delivery formats for one-to-one youth mentorship. The core offerings include Community-Based Mentoring (one-on-one outings in the community), School-Based Mentoring/Lunch Buddies (at elementary schools), Sports Buddies (sports-related group activities), and Big Futures (college/career readiness). These programs are available through different match types: One-on-One (individual Big-Little pairs), Couples Match (two adults mentoring together), and Family Match (entire family mentoring together). Additional program features include Big Deals (discounts from local businesses for matches), the Recreation Station (on-site activity space), and Child Inquiry Enrollment for families wanting to join. All matches receive dedicated Match Support Specialist coaching throughout the relationship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Based Mentoring One-to-one mentoring in which volunteer Bigs and youth Littles meet at least once a month for outings and activities in the community, such as parks, museums, movies, or hanging out together. Targeted at youth ages 5 through young adulthood in Linn, Benton, and Jones Counties.
• School-Based Mentoring (Lunch Buddies) Mentoring program in which volunteer Bigs meet their Little at partner elementary schools twice monthly during lunch and recess, working on homework, crafting, drawing, playing outside, or simply spending time together. Connection is maintained during summer via Zoom or letters.
• Sports Buddies Monthly sports-related group activities providing meaningful engagement for mentor-mentee pairs, focused on physical and mental health, confidence building, and active engagement. Requires a six-month minimum commitment.
• Big Futures Career and educational readiness program helping older youth graduate on time with a plan, providing mentor support, goal setting, skill development, community connections, and exploration of career and educational opportunities.
• Couples Match Mentoring format in which partners, family members, or friends join together to mentor a child once a month, enjoying outings to new places and community events.
• Family Match Family volunteering option in which the entire family mentors a child, with the Little joining in activities the family already enjoys once a month.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children in BBBS program develop improved self-esteem, earn better grades, and build lifelong friendships

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Businesses (Big Deals Partners)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal businesses provide exclusive discounts, experiences, and special offers for Big Brothers Big Sisters matches. These partnerships help Bigs and Littles explore the community together, create meaningful memories, and access activities they may not otherwise have the chance to enjoy. Partners include various Cedar Rapids and East Central Iowa businesses offering dining, entertainment, and recreational opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Iowa BIG: Iowa-based youth career-readiness initiative. Comparable because of overlapping workforce-development programming aligned with the Big Futures offering and shared school-partnership channels.
• Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa: Nonprofit delivering career-readiness and financial-literacy programming to youth. Comparable because the Big Futures offering overlaps directly with JA's workforce-development mission and shared K–12 school partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National umbrella organization for all BBBS affiliates including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids. Comparable because it operates the same mentoring model, brand, and program framework; broader scope as it sets standards, fundraising platforms, and shared marketing infrastructure used locally.

Direct peers

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids: Local youth-development nonprofit serving the same Cedar Rapids / East Central Iowa youth population. Comparable because it competes for the same donor dollars, volunteer time, and youth participants in the same three-county footprint.
• United Way of East Central Iowa: Regional nonprofit umbrella funder that competes for the same corporate and individual donors in Linn, Benton, and Jones Counties. Comparable because of overlapping donor pools and shared focus on youth/family services.
• YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area: Regional youth-serving nonprofit offering mentoring-adjacent programming (after-school care, youth development, sports). Comparable because it competes for the same youth participants, parent subscribers, and local donor base.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri: Independent BBBS affiliate serving a comparable mid-sized regional area. Comparable because it operates the same mentoring programs, donor-tier structures, and volunteer-driven model in a similar market profile.

Regional players

• Girls Inc. of Cedar Rapids: Local youth-development nonprofit focused on girls and young women in the same Cedar Rapids region. Comparable because of overlapping youth mission, donor audience, and reliance on volunteers and corporate partnerships.
• 4-H (Iowa State University Extension): Youth-development program delivered across Iowa counties including Linn, Benton, and Jones. Comparable because it competes for the same youth, volunteers, and county-level funding in the same geographic footprint.

Others

• Mentor: The National Mentoring Partnership: National umbrella and capacity-builder for youth mentoring organizations. Comparable because it supports BBBS-type affiliates with training, research, and advocacy that influence local mentor-program quality and funding access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bigcedarrapids/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigcedarrapids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa